Chase Wright on Breakup Songs, Taylor Swift's Wedding, and Happily Ever After

How do you release a breakup album… the day before your wedding?
Chase Wright did exactly that.

In this episode of "Around Town with That Nashville Girl," Chase opens up about the story behind Chasing Shadows, the album he finished just before marrying the love of his life.

He shares why writing those songs became therapy, how his wife navigated hearing heartbreak songs while planning a wedding, and why he now performs them from a place of gratitude instead of pain.

We also talk about marriage, fatherhood, faith, building a career in country music, and why Chase’s daily devotionals have become such an important part of both his life and his fans’ lives.

As always, there’s plenty of fun too. Chase performs an acoustic version of “Find Myself," steps behind the bar at JBJ’s as our celebrity bartender, mixes up a Lost Highway and an Old Fashioned with varying degrees of confidence, and proves he’s just as likable off stage as he is on it. We also chat about Super Bowl 2030 Halftime predictions, Taylor Swift's wedding, and so much more!

Whether you’re a longtime fan or discovering Chase Wright for the first time, this episode is full of great stories, plenty of laughs, and a reminder that sometimes the hardest chapters of our lives become the ones we’re most grateful for.

Follow Chase on all platforms:  @ChaseWrightMusic
Follow JBJs on Instagram: @JBJsnash
Follow (and subscribe) to That Nashville Girl:  @ThatNashvilleGirl  
Follow our host on Instagram: @askamandaadams

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Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Hey y'all. Welcome to Around Town with That Nashville Girl. I'm at JBJ's, which is at the corner of Forth and Broadway, and it's one of my absolute favorite places downtown. So I'm so excited that Chase Wright is about to walk in. We're gonna have a great time. He's gonna celebrity bartend today. So y'all check it out. Chase, I'm so happy that you're here. So y'all meet Chase Wright. Um I think they probably know you. I feel like you're everywhere these days. I'm trying. I love it. Um so we're sitting at JBJ's, which is kind of awesome because it's such a cool vibe, and it's hilarious that like I was just telling you, the last time that I saw what you were doing around town was CMA Fest. This was a whole different ballgame.

SPEAKER_01 0:51

Oh my gosh. Chaos down here. I mean, there you could like couldn't even move. And this is I mean, we're filming this on a pretty popular weekend too, and it's gonna get like that pretty pretty pretty soon. I'd say tomorrow is gonna be I don't know. When does that concert start? Is it is it's a really good question. I don't know. I don't I just saw a huge like stage and a bunch of blocked off roads, and I just can only imagine how chaotic it's about to be.

SPEAKER_02 1:10

It's gonna be crazy. It's gonna be like Taylor's wife's wedding, but yeah, I know.

SPEAKER_01 1:14

She's she's allegedly getting married this weekend too, right? Is she getting married? I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 1:18

You know, this is gonna come out after let's see. Okay, you tell me. Do you this is after? Okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:23

Remember, we're gonna like which will be fun.

SPEAKER_02 1:25

Okay, is she or isn't she getting married?

SPEAKER_01 1:28

I don't think so. I feel like too many people know about it for it to happen, you know.

SPEAKER_02 1:32

I'm just so confused about it. Madison Square Garden, would you get married? You just got married recently.

SPEAKER_01 1:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:36

When did y'all get married?

SPEAKER_01 1:38

Uh March 20th.

SPEAKER_02 1:39

Okay, and did y'all have a big wedding, small wedding?

SPEAKER_01 1:41

I was like 112, 15, somewhere there. Yeah, I mean, fairly I mean, my wife's family like was 75% of it, and there could there like could have been twice twice as many people as that, you know. It was just uh yeah, so we we like kept it small on purpose just to make sure that everybody there was purposeful, and you know, we we and we it was it was such a such a great time, like wouldn't have changed any anything now. Would I get married at Madison Square Garden? Yeah, would you in the middle of New York City, the most chaotic, busy city in the world? I don't think so. I don't and I don't think she would either. I don't know, I don't she seems fairly private, but who knows?

SPEAKER_02 2:11

I know who knows. I'm with you on that. It feels so weird to me. Yeah, so I know I keep them like, is she, isn't she, is this like the most expensive decoy ever?

SPEAKER_01 2:19

I feel like she's gonna get married like in like one of those, because I I don't know, just some like coastal, like east coast, like in by the water, you know, something like that. We're just like private. I feel I mean I don't know about any any like anybody else, but I wanted my wedding to be private. Like we got married in like the middle of nowhere, you know. And it's like not not because I thought anybody's gonna show up, but just because that's you just want to be, you just don't want the chaos. You just want to be peaceful, everything around you peaceful, and then yeah.

SPEAKER_02 2:44

I think that's so true. And I love that that's kind of the new thing. Like, I feel like the weddings that are like you're introducing yourself to strangers at your wedding, yeah, not really for that.

SPEAKER_01 2:52

Yeah, I mean, so that's like some some people's vibe. Some people's, you know, parents want to invite their friends from childhood and all this stuff that you don't know, and it's like thankfully, thankfully, you know, we we were able to keep it, you know, whatever small and we're able to, you know, keep within budget kind of, you know, it's like I was like, really? Did you close? We we were really, really trying. We were like really, really hard on our like you know, planner about hey, we need to uh stick to this. And she was she was awesome. And so, but yeah, I don't I think that like that 115 and 125, maybe you could even push it maybe a little bit farther, but I think that's like the perfect size, you know, because you you get to see everyone, the dance floor floor feels full, it's not like too crowded. I don't know. It was it was it was like really awesome though.

SPEAKER_02 3:36

I like it. Well, we'll we'll find out. We'll we'll see. We'll find out.

SPEAKER_01 3:39

We'll see you soon.

SPEAKER_02 3:40

Okay, while we're on predictions, I have one more for you, and then we're gonna talk about you the rest of the time. But I'm really curious about this. Okay, Super Bowl 2030.

SPEAKER_01 3:47

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 3:47

We're gonna pull this back out in four years. Are you ready?

SPEAKER_01 3:50

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 3:51

Because maybe it's you. Who's playing halftime show at the Super Bowl in Nashville?

SPEAKER_01 3:55

Oh my, if they don't have somebody from Country Music, this place will erupt. I mean, because when's the last time they had a country music like halftime show? Is it like Tracy Lawrence like back in the day? I don't even know. You know, it's it's been so long.

SPEAKER_02 4:07

So long.

SPEAKER_01 4:08

So long. I don't even know. I mean, it's probably it's it's I you know what I'm gonna put a bold prediction that it's nobody that's popping currently. I think it's gonna be like somebody's bold. I think it's I don't I don't I think I think it's too easy to like softball and be like, oh, uh Morgan Wallen or uh jelly roll because he's from here. Yeah I think it's gonna be it it like it like almost has to be like a compilation of just like legends or something, or like somebody that's just like on like the rise, like popping that like would really hit, you know? Um that's that's like kind of what happened. Really, though. I mean honestly, what if what if what if? I mean, what he's he has four years to figure it out, right?

SPEAKER_02 4:45

Four years. You're kind of this is why I think this is so interesting. I started thinking about this the minute they were like Super Bowl in Nashville. I was like, where do you start? Who's doing the national English?

SPEAKER_01 4:54

You almost you almost have to do like uh like every stadium act you think of now, just like all combining for one show or something, similar to like I would you know what Alan Alan Jackson's final show, like give me give me one of those lineups where it's just the everybody in country music, yeah, and they all just combine together and it's just the most like elite halftime show, you know, ever.

SPEAKER_02 5:14

I like that. Okay, predictions for um national anthem.

SPEAKER_01 5:17

Yeah. Me? No, I'm just kidding. No, Chase is here. Would you do it if you got asked? Yeah, I you know, like you know what's funny is like there's very like you only I don't know, what's like the word? There's there's no upside to doing the national anthem unless you're Chris Stapleton or Whitney Houston or I don't know, right? There's like been two or three national anthems ever where people have left listening to listening to it and been like, oh my gosh, this person's amazing. Everything else is like, oh good, cool, or just like that was terrible. Yeah. There's it it it's only like you you're where you were or worse. You know, you are not wrong. But that being said, I've always said, you know, if the like in Indy 500 or the Super Bowl, I feel like those are two you couldn't you couldn't say no to that.

SPEAKER_02 5:59

You do it.

SPEAKER_01 6:00

Yeah, but if it's if it's like a you know a local high school softball game or something, I don't think that's I don't think there's any upside there. You're only going to either be like, okay, yeah, that was like fine, or that was terrible, canceled.

SPEAKER_02 6:13

Honestly, you're so right. The cancel culture on that is scary.

SPEAKER_01 6:16

Yeah, and it's so so I like have done the national anthem before. I did it before an indie car race in St. St. Louis, and so I was I was already playing a like post-race show, and they asked me, Hey, do you want to do the national anthem also? And I was just like, like, I really I literally took like a week deliberating, and I was like, oh man, I don't I guess I've never been so nervous in my life. I like did it and I was told it was gonna be on national TV, and thankfully a uh soccer game went went over. It was like a World Cup qualifier went went over, so they cut all the pre-ray stuff, thank God. And so I was so nervous. I was like up there shaking. I was like, and I've never I don't get nervous.

SPEAKER_02 6:55

Did you do a cappella or did you play guitar?

SPEAKER_01 6:57

Yeah, I just like just went up there and just ripped it. And but like I but like I don't get nervous for like anything. I was so nervous, and it's because it's just like what if I forget the words? What if this, what if it's everybody and also, you know, shows you can, you know, people are talking, they're doing whatever, you know. You can there some people are listening, they're whatever. They're everybody is completely silent, they're all listening to every single breath you like take. Oh man, it's just that was so nerve-wracking.

SPEAKER_02 7:23

Well, and I think everyone is so ready to judge it, like it's so this is why I sit here listening to you talk about this, and I know for a fact that like you're you are an artist because you recognize the weight of that, and I think a lot of people don't. And I've not been to one of your live shows. I gotta do this because I have heard that like once you go to one chase show, you're going. Have you you know this is a thing? No, TikTokers talk about it.

SPEAKER_01 7:48

Oh, well, good. No, thank you. No, I I like have so much pride in my like my uh shows and the energy behind them. And I really, you know, when I first started playing out, like that's something that I really wanted to make a point to like, I want to go out there, I want to have high, high energy, I want to, you know, get people going, I want to have a great time. Because if you're not having a great time when you're playing, how do you expect anybody else to? And that's what I feel like the best compliment that I get whenever we are playing somewhere is somebody comes after me, you guys looked like you had so much fun. And I was like, that's that's like the goal, because if we're having fun, then everybody else sort of loosens up and has and ha has fun too. And so um, yeah, I know that's like something that I I really do love, and I you know, and sometimes I wish I could get out there and play a little bit more than I uh do, but you know, it's um yeah, I mean it's it's that's like such a such a fun part, and I'm so glad that you like mentioned that because it is something that I truly, truly love.

SPEAKER_02 8:38

Well, I mean, I think it shows like your fans are very um like I would say you have like true fans, you know, which is super cool because I think you're still relatively new in your career. Like, how long have you been in Nashville and like doing this music journey?

SPEAKER_01 8:52

Yeah, so I like started putting out my first song in 2020, and I didn't start playing my first uh show until like 2022. And so, um, so I've been at this for a little bit now. It feels like it's just it's like crazy because it feels like it was yesterday, but also it feels like it's been a lifetime, you know. It's very, very odd because I feel like you know, I I uh I moved here in 2019 and I just graduated college and I don't feel like I've been out of college for that long, but and it's been what seven years now, and so um, so yeah, so there's there's there's that. But um, yeah, and I I'm I mean I I've I've been doing it for what, putting out music for four years now. So I mean not like I guess I've been putting out music for six years, but playing shows for four years, but yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:34

Time after 2020 is kind of irrelevant.

SPEAKER_01 9:36

I don't even yeah, you know what? That's like funny too, because COVID feels like it was yesterday, even though it was what six years ago.

SPEAKER_02 9:41

It's weird, right?

SPEAKER_01 9:42

It really is weird.

SPEAKER_02 9:44

And I have some bad news for you. Um as you get older, they told us this. I'm just gonna tell you that the old people told me this, and now I'm that old person telling you this. It goes faster. Yeah, I don't know what happens.

SPEAKER_01 9:55

Yeah, I've got a kid and he's uh three almost four, and that's flying by. You know, it's like I feel like but since I've had him, like life is just because I feel like on a daily basis, there's just so much to do. And so I feel like that's like part of it also is just like every day feels so fast because you're just busy the entire from top to bottom. Because there's just so many more things going on as you get uh get older and have more I don't know responsibilities and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_02 10:19

Yeah, that's true. It never like there's no off switch.

SPEAKER_01 10:22

Yeah, but I feel like younger, when you're like younger, it's just like, oh, am I gonna hang out with my friends today? Am I gonna do some homework? Or you know, it's just like there's really not you have so much time to sit there and be be like bored. You know, and now it's just like I kind of wish I was bored.

SPEAKER_02 10:34

Gosh, right? Okay, so if you're younger than us and you're listening to this, if you're in college, what's the advice? Enjoy every minute.

SPEAKER_01 10:41

Yeah, you you know what's like funny? I I don't like miss college for like the social, like, you know, like going going out with friends or the parties or the football games. I don't miss college for that. I kind of miss college for like not really having anything to worry about and being stressed about a test. Yeah, you know, like I'm just like sorry, but when you get to real life, that test doesn't look too bad. No, it isn't it. You know, it's so uh I just I my uh wife's brother's going to college this uh this year, and I'm like, I was just talking to him about it, and I was like, man, like I just like still like vividly, vividly remember freshman year, like that first week when you're on on campus and you're you're like, oh my gosh, like I my parents aren't here to tell me what to do. Like it's kind of like this freedom, it's it's just weird, like breath of fresh air, and you don't really have anything to worry about. It's like freshman year college is harder than high school, but still, like at the in the grand scheme of things, like not that hard compared to later, you know. And so it's just like it's just such a really cool time, and yeah, I don't know, I don't know, soak it in because I feel like life starts throwing you curveballs after you leave.

SPEAKER_02 11:40

It does, and you picked quite a crazy career when you think about curveballs.

SPEAKER_01 11:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:45

So you chose this crazy thing called music, and you have a new album. Yeah. So it came out in May. Yeah. Chasing Shadows. So I need to know how this album came about, especially the chasing shadows part of this.

SPEAKER_01 11:57

Yeah, yeah. So put out the record at the beginning of May, and uh, been working on it for a couple years, and it's just you know, a breakup album and all that, you know, which is like not wouldn't recommend that if you know, putting out a breakup album like as you're getting married and after, you know, and so I actually turned in the record the day before my wedding, which isn't I don't I wouldn't recommend that either, you know. That's a lot of things happening at once, a lot of things to coordinate and plan at once, and so that was a pretty stressful couple weeks. I thought you know, I feel like I was you know slightly over overwhelmed there, but um, yeah, I mean, you know, it's just it it was a it was a couple years of writing, it was very much like a therapy type thing for me. It's just like I just needed to get those emotions out. And um, and once I wrote wrote the songs, I was able to move past all those things that I was writing, writing about, and uh, and yeah, and shout out to my wife, she's an absolute trooper because as you know, we st I started writing the songs, you know, as we started dating, you know, right when I met her, and then, you know, maybe a little bit before also, but then, you know, but then they started coming out like when we were very much like together and gonna get married and all this stuff. And so I'm just like releasing breakup albums as we're planning a wedding, and it's it's just it's very, yeah, I don't know, it was it was it was like a very odd time, but it was like something that I feel like I really needed to say, and something that I feel like, you know, could really help somebody else going through something similar. And uh and that's what I've like heard from fans is like, you know, they're they're like grateful that you know I've was able to put out those songs because it has helped so many people from what I've heard, which is great. That's like the whole like point of it, you know. It's like if I can use some some like difficult things that I've gone through to, you know, put into some songs and put out and hopefully help somebody else through it, then that's then you know to me it's worth it. And so um, so that's kind of the whole uh idea behind the project, was just you know, trying to get those feelings out and move move past it. And also, you know, hopefully my fans will grow with me into this next project. We can't be sad forever, and uh, you know, and so I'm starting to write some happier love songs now, which the wife is um you know fired fired up about uh because it's tough to it's tough to be like, oh yeah, Chase just put out a like new album. Oh, that's like great, let's go to a show, you know. And it's like they're all just sad songs. Yeah, what's what's going on here? Are you guys good? It's like yeah, we're good, we're good. She's like, it's not about me. Yeah, no, and it's what's like tough is too, is like people don't understand like sort of the timeline that happens, you know, when you go to write a song, show that when it comes out, it could be a year or or like more, you know. It just it's just such a long process between like writing and then recording it, and then finishing the recording and then putting it into all these systems to be like you know, released in two months after the you know, it's just such a long runway. And so uh yeah, it's it's I I guess it's tough as a fan to sort of grasp that, and for me, it's it got kind of odd promoting it and being like, Oh, I just got married, I'm so excited, listen to this breakup song, you know. But I am uh I'm as like far as the like album goes, though, I'm really like proud of the product. Like I think it's it's out of the three albums that I put out, it's it's my most like complete project yet, which is like great, and I'm so happy with it, and I was so um confident in the like product that I was that I was putting out, and so I'm just glad that it's finally out. That way we can, you know, not relish in the past and and uh you know move on to happier things.

SPEAKER_02 15:09

It's so good. I really love it. And and I think um I don't want people to be like, oh, I don't want a sad album. Trust me, you do want this. Like it's so good, it still has energy.

SPEAKER_01 15:18

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:19

Um, but I have never actually I love thinking about how songs came to life and like what you guys wrote them about. I've never thought about it from the perspective of the person that's now with you when you're singing about something in your past. That's pretty that's a that's a whole new. I was just following along, going, yeah, that's hard. Like, yeah, we don't think about that as fans. We do think I love thinking about the fact that you guys were um honest enough to like put your feelings out there so that we can all have the feelings that we can't put into words. You give us the words, so thank you for that. But we didn't I never thought about it from like Anna's perspective. That's tricky.

SPEAKER_01 15:52

Yeah, yeah, and and and I think too, and I like say this, say this at shows too, and and you know, before I play like the most popular song from the from the album that you know was my like first single off the project and one that really came in a great time for me. I feel like people gravitated towards it, and I feel like I needed that pick me up because these songs were you know were very real and I was feeling all these things. And so the first song off the project to to be picked up, you know, by like the fans and really really look and you know, for them to really love it helped help a lot. But um, but but before I play the play the song, I'm like I I'm not singing these songs now um as you know, just relishing in the past and being like sad, like this, you know, I'm I'm like happier than I've than I've ever been. I'm more in uh you know love than I've ever been. And I sing these songs as a like testimony that like you know with that I like sing it with the like the like passion, you know, still, but it's because it's a like testimony that um you know we can these difficult times are just fortifying you and preparing you for the great things that are just on the on the at the other end. And I feel like the most difficult seasons of my life have just been preparing me to be ready for that great thing. And so it's like that's kind of the passion I sing these songs from now is that this sense of you know, whatever, gratitude or you know, and so um but I make a point to say something like that, you know, at like at like shows because you know I I want people to to uh sort of look at these songs in a different light, maybe in their like own own lives, to like maybe build them up and be like, you know what, yeah, I I am really upset about this thing, but like I'm gonna work past this and through it.

SPEAKER_02 17:22

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 17:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 17:24

I love that. I love that so much. And I think it's been something that I love about like following you on Instagram. I I love uh that the algorithm has again clocked me for like, yes, you get Chase's stuff because we don't always get what we like.

SPEAKER_01 17:37

That uh don't even get me started on on that crap. I I it like frustrates me so much how like you know, it'll be like on a week to week something will change, and then it's like last week I could post a bunch of videos and they all go crazy this week, like nobody sees them. It's just yeah. But it's like we have no control over it. Nothing.

SPEAKER_02 17:52

One thing that I think people will say about you right now, and I think it's really cool when you talk about this just evolution of you as a person, is um I've been really impressed with how open you are with your faith, and that you are posting your daily devotions and your time that, like, honestly, it's a reminder to me that it's like, wait, stop. Just have a moment. So I this is an interview about your music, but I think that something that I'm excited to hear in your coming music is this evolution and like how you have found this piece that's like that you're not afraid to say this is part of who I am. Yeah. In a world that doesn't always accept that.

SPEAKER_01 18:23

Yeah, yeah, I know. And that was that was one thing that that really helped me through, you know, the obviously the biggest thing that helped me through all those difficult times is like I was alone with a you know a 15-month-old baby at the time, and I uh was still trying to run a run a business. My family's five and a half hours away. Like I was completely alone, trying to traverse this new life and all the drama that came with it, and um, and it just like frankly, like brought me to my knees, you know, physically, mentally, you know, whatever. It was, it was, it was a like really difficult time, but leaning into my faith more and more, like that's what helped me through everything. And I post the daily devotionals every day to keep me honest, to keep me like, you know, like you need to be, you know, reading your Bible daily, you need to be in the did like my daily devotional daily. And so I post those things, one, because people have come up come up to me and they're like, hey, like I I look I look forward to seeing your like devotionals daily when I get to work and all this stuff. And so it could be somebody's only chance that they're gonna they're gonna see that, you know, and they don't they don't have their own. They're just relying on me, which is which is huge and keeps me honest. But also, you know, if I commit to posting it every day, then I'm gonna commit to reading it every day. And I feel like, you know, even if it's not true, I feel like I'm letting people down if I don't. And so um, yeah, and and I just want to be be like bold and vocal. I feel like that's what you know, that's what actually actually matters. You know, we can we can chase, you know, material things, we can chase money, we can chase, you know, whatever fame. But I feel like at the end of the day, and what I've really, you know, learned and had to understand is that like, you know, getting getting to heaven means more than all the like material things. And so that's what I've really tried to lean into also. And so, yeah, I don't I like need to be better about you know talking about it more more openly, and I and I try to whenever it comes up, but um, but yeah, that's something that has really, really helped me, and hopefully it's helped other people too.

SPEAKER_02 20:13

It is for sure. And I'm one of them. I think it's great. So thank you, thank you for leading by example. It's really cool. So um I appreciate it. And I'm so happy that we got to sit down. I feel like I could talk to you for hours. So much to talk about.

SPEAKER_01 20:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:25

But you did bring a guitar. Yes. So you're gonna, we're gonna have some fun here at JBJ's. You're gonna play a couple songs for us. Um let's start with like an acoustic vibe. What are you gonna play for us?

SPEAKER_01 20:37

I don't know. Should I play a song off the album? Should I play like what my because I've I've been I've been like working on playing like guitar more, and so I kind of I've I I was like thinking about this on the way over. I was like, should I just should I play one of the new songs or should I play like an older song of mine that's like like a like classic? I don't know. What do you what do you think?

SPEAKER_02 20:53

I wish we had like live audience feedback. Wouldn't that be fun? anybody live audience who wants it?

SPEAKER_01 20:57

Yeah, we got a we got a couple souls here. What are we thinking?

SPEAKER_02 21:00

All right, what are we thinking?

SPEAKER_01 21:01

Collect talents something something something from the album. All right. So um I don't know. I I I'm thinking uh maybe find find myself. Find myself. That's we like end every like concert with it. It's one of my favorite upbeat songs, it has a cool twist in the lyrics. So it is it is one of my favorites off the album. And so let's let's let's do find myself.

SPEAKER_02 21:23

All right.

SPEAKER_01 21:23

What's up, y'all? It's Chase Wright, and this is my song, Find Myself.

SPEAKER_00 21:47

Taking all the blame for the things that you should have changed, but did anyway. I used to find myself thinking the love's always gonna be tough. Tryna fix what couldn't be fixed when I should've run, losing two hours, I minute, five minutes. The shit was going down here, but taking me with it. It was never gonna be a city. Just couldn't see it. Yeah, I used to take him look and be lazy. When you might not tell, I had to lose you to farm myself Farm myself get him back to the man that I used to know. Finally put him back in a piece of start at you. I'm about to minute, I'm minute you take a beat down, you believe it you did it, even feel bad about the way that it did, but I'm glad that you did it. Turn that I didn't find out, baby. When you want to tell, I'll lose you from last.